Wedding Videography Greats: 3 Pros Reveal Their Favorite SDEs

What happens when you ask professional wedding filmmakers to name their favorite SDE apart from their own? They remind you who the wedding videography greats are!

Last week, we rounded up some established and up-and-coming talents in the Wedding Videography industry to add variety to your Vimeo playlists. (Read the viral article here!)This week, we asked some of these very talents to select their favorite wedding SDE from 2016.The catch? It had to be from someone other than themselves. In the end, it was as if these pros were choosing their bets among the wedding videography greats of the Philippines.

We’re NOT saying this is a definitive list of the best in the business.Art is subjective, we all know that.But we have to admit that the names that popped up on this list didn’t surprise us so much.After all, these filmmakers have been widely considered as wedding videography greats by so many print and online publications, as well as award-giving bodies.Without further ado, we’re listing them here in alphabetical order so you don’t accuse us of playing favorites!

Favorite 2016 SDEs from the Wedding Videography Greats

1. Nikki and BJ by Jason Magbanua

Selected by: Jake Olaso, wedding filmmaker since 2010

When Jason released the full SDE of Nikki Gil and BJ Albert’s wedding, we couldn’t help but gush at how dreamy it was.It was one of our most popular SDE analyses in 2016, and Jason Magbanua himself even gave our dissection his stamp of approval.Of course, that put us on Cloud 9.But as it turns out, we weren’t the only ones who fell in love with love on that day. Here’s what Jake Olaso had to say about his favorite SDE from one of the country’s wedding videography greats:

“Aside from my own wedding SDEs, I also love watching other wedding videographers’ work. And one of my favorites is that of Nikki and BJ from master Jason Magbanua. The attack was so relatable and, even though Nikki is a celebrity, we can all feel how magical the timing was for her. We can all relate and believe that there is always a right time for love.”

2. Keda and Kelly by Mayad

Michelle and Herwin Banaag, the husband and wife tandem behind Forevermine, were regular freelance videographers under the Mayad family for four years.But they had been super fans since even before, Mayad’s SDE having been the first that they ever saw.Even now that they’ve started their own company, they still look up to one of the wedding videography greats of the country for inspiration to become better in their craft.

“I really admire Mayad because their videos are classy and unique, especially how they shoot the details.The beauty shots are so elegant.And I admire how they control the wedding shoot—they make it look easy but [from experience, I’ve learned] na mahirap pala.”

*Michelle couldn’t specify just one favorite SDE from Mayad (who can blame her?!) as of press time so who better to ask for a recommendation than Mayad themselves, right?

3. Cristalle and Justine by Bob Nicolas

Selected by Ian Celis, full-time wedding filmmaker since 2010

This might have been one of the last celebrity weddings of the year, but it was certainly a wedding that was one for the books. A reading of Pablo Neruda’s Sonnet 17 at their wedding is just one of the many reasons we bookmarked this SDE from yet another one of the Philippines’ wedding videography greats.Ian Celis, who is a pro in his own right given that he has been making wedding films since 2004, also took notice.

“My favorite SDE would be that of Bob Nicolas’: Justin Pitt and Cristalle Belo.Sabihin ko na lang na parang pinagsama-sama ang tatlong studio ng mga Nicolas doon. It had the storytelling of Bob, the cinematic shots of Leo, and the awesome glide shots of Rommel.”

There must have been literally thousands of wedding SDEs in 2016 alone.That’s why we think it’s a pretty big deal that our professional sources themselves chose these three from some of the Philippines’ wedding videography greats as their favorites.

But in the end, we at The Top Knotters believe that each SDE is incredibly special not because of who made it.Rather, they are valuable because they tell the story of unique individuals and the beautiful, irrepeatable moment when they courageously said, “I do.”Cheers to couples everywhere and to the #topknotters who help them on their journey!

What was your favorite SDE from 2016? Let us know in the comments section below!

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